A New Music Festival for Guelph
From Arts in Guelph - May/June, 2007
by Anna Contini
This spring will bring about the launch of a brand new classical music festival for Guelph. The event is called Guelph Musicfest and it takes place May 12 to 26, 2007 at the Guelph Youth Music Centre (GYMC). Ken Gee, a local pianist, was inspired to organize Musicfest following the demise of the Guelph Spring Festival. In addition to raising funds for GYMC, Gee hopes the new event will help "keep classical music alive in Guelph."
The centerpiece of Guelph Musicfest is a trio of recitals by artists of international calibre. The series opens on Saturday, May 12 with Theresa Thibodeau - a Family Affair. The Guelph soprano teams up with her husband/baritone John Medina and her talented son, also a baritone, Adrian Kramer, who recently graduated from Julliard and is now studying at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. The family will perform a delightful mélange of solos, duets, operatic arias and even some Broadway!
The second recital takes place Thursday, May 17 and features British-born pianist Valerie Tryon. She is a longtime friend of Gee and has performed in the past at the Guelph Spring Festival. Her program includes Scarlatti Sonatas; Brahms' Six Pieces, opus 118; Preludes by Debussy; and the rarely heard Grieg Piano Sonata.
The next recital showcases the talents of German-born violinist Annette-Barbara Vogel on Thursday, May 24. Along with Beethoven's "Spring" Sonata, she'll perform Szymanowski's dazzling Violin Sonata. Gee, who will accompany her on piano, describes her as "a fiery performer with an abundance of technical prowess."
In addition to the three main performances, known as the Artist Series, Guelph Musicfest will also include two special "partnership concerts." One is a benefit concert at the Guelph Youth Music Centre for the Suzuki String School of Guelph (SSSG) on Friday, May 25. The concert features two alumni of the SSSG who are now preparing for careers as professional performers - cellist Adam Riggs and violinist Meredith McCallum. The program will include works by Rachmaninov, Chausson and Brahms.
Guelph Musicfest concludes with the spring concert of Guelph Youth Singers called If Music be the Food of Love on Saturday, May 26 at the River Run Centre. This concert is also part of the Shakespeare - Made in Canada Festival and tickets can be purchased separately at the River Run Centre Box Office. Another option is to purchase a Guelph Musicfest Super Series ticket which includes all five concerts.
Gee believes there are lots of classical music lovers out there and says that the inaugural Musicfest is "an opportunity to test the waters." The hope is that it can become an annual event and mark the beginning of a whole new chapter for Guelph, the City of Music!
Tickets for Guelph Musicfest are available from Guelph Youth Music Centre. For more information and series tickets, phone 519-993-7591 or visit www.guelphmusicfest.ca.